Picture this. Your face is somewhere between beet and eggplant and dripping with sweat. Your chunky pregnancy thighs are agape, exposing your dramatically swollen vagina. Your teeth are gritted in pain and concentration. It is the most important moment of your life; you are about to bring a new human being into the world.

And while you are trying to remember all those breathing exercises you learned and focus on what is happening, you are also very aware that the right is your best side. After the next contraction, you must remember to remind the photographer of this. You have, after all, paid almost $1000 to document this birth in pictures and you want to look your best.

According to a story in Sunday’s New York Times, birth photography is taking off. We’re not talking about hubby snapping away with the Canon Rebel, or a few shots of mom’s and baby’s first meeting. We’re talking full-on documentary photography, like at a wedding but with a lot more gore. We’re talking about having a professional photographer, dressed all in discreet black of course, snapping away with her giant lens as you huff and heave.

As the article states:

Birth was once considered a behind-closed-doors affair — a messy, painful and fearsome event where neither mothers nor babies looked their best. Then, expectant fathers entered the picture, snapping photos or taking videos with shaky hands. Now, there is both a surge of interest in the experience of childbirth — not just as a means to a baby but also as a moment to be relished in its own right — and a greater desire to capture all of life’s moments (and often share them on Facebook).

It’s true that there are fewer and fewer aspects of our personal lives we consider off limits. People blog about their illnesses, post status updates of their relationships, and now, hire professional photographers to capture their cervixes at nine centimeters (not all moms want the crotch shot, according to the article, but many do request pics of the baby crowning).

Dr. Randi Hutter Epstein, the author of “Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank,” said many cultural cues could make some women feel the need to make their births “photo-shoot-able.”

“There is a lot of pressure to not just cherish the birth experience but to promote it as this beautiful thing,” she said. “Then you’re going to get into your skinny jeans the next day and have a beautiful photograph of you looking absolutely beautiful and well rested with your perfect-looking baby, like all the celebrities.”

I don’t know. If that’s the case, and birth has just become another show-off moment, it’s a sad statement on our hyper image-conscious society and we really are the ultimate over-sharers. But, on the other hand, maybe birth photography is another signal, like public breastfeeding, that people are lightening up on the whole womanhood-is-shameful thing we’ve inherited from our ancestors (both ancient and recent). I mean, who says birth is gross or embarrassing or private? It certainly is common, and natural. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Still, the trend of hiring a professional does strike me as a bit twee. It’s self-celebration taken to the extreme. I mean, yes, it’s one of the most significant moments of your life, but why not just be here now and skip the US Weekly treatment?

What about you? Would you hire a professional photographer to capture your birth?

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gross. i didn’t even want a mirror when i was in labor. b/c some things are better left not known in my opinion

Jennifer

the short answer for me is: hell no. i can’t tell you how awful i looked this last time ’round, so vanity would prohibit it. but what bugs me about this – kind of like all these new filtered photo apps that make every picture look like it belongs in a magazine – is that a birth photographer is going pretty up the whole messy process beyond recognition. all photos are constructs to a degree – staged reality for sure – but some more than others. it’s one thing to document, it’s another to make everything so goddam good looking. (from a perpetual documentor who refuses to use a photo filter.)

Haley

I actually did consider it this time – it was my 2nd birth and our first home birth. I’d seen a very tasteful video of someone’s photos from her home birth experience and thought maybe i’d like my own. In the end we decided not to due to price and the fact that I just couldn’t decide if i’d really want an extra person there, especially one who was taking my picture. We decided to hire her later for a newborn/family photo shoot instead (much cheaper too) & i’m glad we did. We had an awesome home birth experience, but I was in no mood at the time to have an extra person there with a camera. Some women can probably pull it off as a beautiful thing to photograph, but not me, not with no pain meds at least, lol! And I much preferred the focus to be on our whole family the following week rather than just me during labor.

jen

I’m with Megan…there are just some perspectives I don’t need to have.

Christina in Canada

yeah, no thanks. I didn’t want pictures until after they baby was born and just of the baby until I was cleaned up a little. I have one picture that I insisted my husband take right after they put my son on my belly where I look the worst and the happiest I have ever looked in my life. I keep it just for myself, I haven’t even shown it to family.

AS

Um no, and I can tell you that no one else, including your child is going to want to look at them…ever, so if you do, please keep to yourself and don’t post on Facebook!

I would like one of me holding my child (due in August) for the first time. I think that would be special to me for years to come, but I believe my doulah can handle that.

CJ

To me this is another sign our society has no sense of modesty. Why would anyone WANT anyone other than a hubby or doctor/midwife looking at that? And there’s no two ways about it, birth is natural, but VERY messy. I saw my sister literally five minutes after she’d given birth, placenta and all, and my first thought was that she’d turned inside-out. I almost gagged. Of course my adorable nephew was worth the initial horror, but…why should family photo time turn into an episode of CSI?

Whenever I give birth any pictures/videos taken will be before things get gruesome and AFTER Junior is out. Not necessarily cleaned up, but out. Once I’m decent, they can snap as many pictures as they want, but no entourage. I turn into a real female dog when I’m hurting and tired, and the only people I would want there are medical staff and my significant other.

erin

My friend, who is a photographer, took pictures of my delivery. Not in the “gore” sense. But she was there throughout it, saw everything. The pictures consisted of normal pictures a husband would take, done better because she is a professional. She took pictures I wouldn’t have considered and pictures my husband wouldn’t have been able to take because he was with me and my daughter. There were no crotch shots. She did get a picture right after she was out, the doctor lifting her to me. She also got the first moments of my husband and I with her. It was so nice for my husband not to worry about getting the pictures I wanted and focus on our last baby! They are amazing pictures, that I will treasure forever.

sharon in prague

&^*$ NO! I had one picture of me having a contraction with my first child and i deleted it. this is not for anyone to see. i don’t want to see it.

Wilheimina Mac

honestly, i’d be curious to see what i looked like, captured by a professional photographer in the midst of it all. maybe i’d look glorious and powerful….or maybe i’d look like sh*t.
i don’t think it’s for me.

veronica

Will they want a video of the conception too?

Shan

Uhhhh I thought I looked awesome all things considered. So sure why not. I had had the sense to leave the mascara off after my “I think I’m in labor I should take a bath” bath and my midwifed assistant Charity pulled my hair into a bun for me. I stayed as calm as possible breathed and looked pretty decent. It was recorded, I wouldn’t want a stranger there though so no photographers please.

Irishmama7

Well I definitely would have certain photos edited. But I do think it can be done tastefully. I wouldn’t mind photos and the memories.

Meg

I did have my birth photographed (although after the other comments, I’m almost afraid to say so). There were absolutely no shots of the “splash zone”, but rather some beautiful black and white photos of my husband and my sister supporting me during contractions, and then some of the most beatiful shots of me holding my daughter for the first time. We had some complications, and the hospital allowed the photographer to go with my husband while our new daughter was being checked out, so I was able to see what was happening then – something I would have missed otherwise.

My decision to have birth photos done came after I saw some tasteful ones a friend had done. They were so beautiful – not full of gross or gore – and that made me decide I wanted them too. I still look at them and get tearful. They were an excellent investment, and I plan to do it again when my next baby comes (in about 30 weeks).

Isa

I wish I had a few pictures of the experience. But all above the waist. I wouldn’t hire anyone just give my mom my camera.

Natalye

My midwife’s birth center actually offers professional photography for the birth (instilled after the birth of my youngest, so i didn’t get it with her), but I will definitely be doing it for the next one. The pictures really are beautiful. And they are all done tastefully…all above the waist. They just so perfectly capture the hard work the mother is doing, the awe the father has for his wife, and the beauty of that very first moment of baby in mama’s arms. I wish I had that option with my last birth!

Veronica George

This article has stated it pretty much incorrectly. No mother sits and directs the photographer. We are like flys on the wall, that just happen to capture the most precious & loving moments that you will forget. The husband rubbing the wifes back, holding her hand, the nurses smiling & encouraging. Readers forget the wonder that is actually happening when they read articles such as this and the NYT. Most people assume we are focused on the mothers face only during pushing & crowning shots. NOT TRUE.
My husband wasn’t in a single shot while we were in the labor room, why? Because he was too busy trying to take pictures. This is why for my next birth I plan on hiring a birth photographer. Less stress on us to try and remember to get a picture together, to remember to take a picture of the cord being caught, of the doctor handing me my child. Moments like that are what are captured.

http://Portlandbirthphotographer.com Stacey

Birth is a beautiful thing why wouldn’t you want to document it. More important than wedding photography in my opinion. I can remember my wedding but my son can’t remember his first moments. I invite everyone to come check out my website- http://www.portlandbirthphotographer.com
Look at my blog, view the slideshow then see if your perspective has changed. Birth photography is tasteful and there is no explicit photos taken unless the mother has asked for them. Many mothers request that I stay at the head of the bed and that is fine with me. I have yet to hear a client say she regrets hiring me but hear MANY women say they wished they had had a photographer after the fact.

Jen

So, when are the truths of birth photography going to be given? If I knew nothing about it and I read this blog post (because that is what it is), and the MANY others filtering around the web, I too would be turned off and disgusted. But guess what folks, it is NOTHING like this. If you want to know about birth photography, seek out a few photographers sites and email them.

I had my birth photographed AND I’m a photographer. I do not remember my photographer “exposing (my) dramatically swollen vagina”, nor was she. I have never (unless requested) done that either. We are not “dressed all in discreet black of course, snapping away with her giant lens”. We know our clients, better then most doctors or nurses. We respect their privacy. We stop if asked. We do not post online if requested. Is it defiantly NOT “self-celebration taken to the extreme”, quite the opposite if anyone took the time to actually research what they are writing about. I had mine photographed and my clients have theirs photographed so they can remember those moments (especially the ones they missed or forgot). They are not out on display for all to see. Lets start fact checking, shall we?

Have any of you ever seen what a birth story looks like in photos? No? Then open yur min dup just a teensy bit and consider all the amazing moments you don’t notice or even think to capture during labor: arriving at the hospital excited and anxious, checking into your room (what number was I in again?), your husband caressing your face, letting you lean on him, your baby’s first glimpse of his new world, and your first glimpse of him, the exact time on the wall, his measurements and footprints being made… the list goes on and on. Birth photography is not gruesome. It’s not gross. Birth photographers don’t capture anything more than your story and give you something to look back positively on your experience of bringing new life into the world. They also aren’t “strangers”. By the time they’ve photographed your birth, they are lifelong friends that you stay in touch with and give updates on your babies. I am so very passionate about what I do – consider it such a blessing to share these moments (with wanting parents of course). If you would like to see what birth photography is really all about, look here: http://www.photosbylei.com/?gallery=birth-photography and here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150364349717971&set=vb.127473337271649&type=2&theater

My husband teaches video production for a living and many of our friends were astounded when we said that we would not videotape the birth of our daughter. 11.5 years later and I still don’t regret that decision.

Sandi

Gosh I dont know. We had the whole thing on video (tastefully, I was in a tub, so you dont see crotch shots) and I ended up being glad, though for completely a different reason. Our homebirth was so traumatic, scary and bloody (yeah, quite a different experience than the “beautiful empowering lala stories our there”) that after it was over I was like, what happened to me?? WTF? That was HORRIBLE! I really needed the video to really understand what happened, how painful it all was, how scary (thank God little one was ok) and why I didnt looooove the experience like everyone seemed to let on. The video was instrumental in helping me get over the birth PTSD I was heading for. But now, its not so beautiful, mostly its sad and scary and horrible to watch. Only my husband and two CLOSE Friends have seen it (they have already given birth, I would NEVER show someone who had never given birth that, because I fear they’d never have children). You will see my butt in a hospital bed next time around. Sheesh. But anyway, I digress, the video ended up being very helpful for figuring stuff out. I also wouldnt want a stranger there snapping pics, but I definitely wanted pics once he was out and I really value those ones. I think it could be tastefully done, but I dont think its for us. WE like the privacy and intimacy of only DH and midwife around. And yes, I think our society is weird and attention-happy. DOnt even get me started on 9 month pregnant moms running marathons and giving birth on stage. yuck.

Lizzie

I had my parents, my husband, his parents, my brother, my doctor, my nurse, and a team of 2 to receive the baby. Thats 10 people, not including me and baby. And I am so happy I did! It was amazing to share this experience with my family (granted my bro and father in law were behind the curtain). AND my dad recorded the birth. I figured there wasn’t an inch of me he hasn’t already seen. Anyway, it was an amazing experience and even though my baby is just 6 months old, it was awesome to see the birth from a different perspective and to hear her first cry again. I don’t have a morsel of regret. I don’t have a morsel of dignity either but what gives.

Brittany

I did! It was the same lady that had taken all of our pictures! She has some very beautiful pictures of her first breaths, my husband and I holding her for the first time, and all of our family holding her! Our photographer was a family friend so I wasn’t afraid to show it all. I will totally do this again with our second one!

http://www.TheAthensNewbornPhotographer.com Andie Freeman

I am actually really very sad at the way that you have written this article. Of course, opinions are like *ssholes and everybody has one. I think yours takes women a step back in time ,however. I am a professional photographer and while I only dive into births for women I know and love, I very much see the benefit of having a professional there. I was wheeled into a c-section at 37 weeks with high blood pressure and a very high risk birth. My husband was so concerned about me that he didn’t focus on our child as she was brought into this world. Even though he had a camera, he didn’t snap any images. And my memories are very fuzzy of that day thanks to the pain meds. The first pictures of our baby girl were taken many hours after she was born. Four days later, my heart failed ,and I came very close to dying. Thankfully, I didn’t. But if I had, my baby girl would have had scant few images of her with her mother. Maybe 2. I would have given anything to know about birth photography at that point. Birth photography most certainly has its place and I think that you guys are making it seem to be something that it is not. What mom would want to miss this? http://www.andiefreemanphotography.com/blog/2010/01/birth-day-savannah-marie-purcell-january-17-2010-1244am-8lbs-12oz/dsc00105/ There is nothing gory or beet red or gross or swollen about this moment. This is a baby’s first contact with her mother. This is what birth photography is about.

lelita

YES! Specially after my hubby ruined our first baby birth video wished I could done it myself but next time guess I’ll just hire my sister (still related photographer)

Sarah

Hmmm…what an interesting idea. I like the idea of a professional photographer documenting the event for us. I definitely would not, I repeat, WOULD NOT (!!!) allow any crotch shots, but the rest of it I think I’d be okay with. It could be really beautiful if done correctly. Would I share the pictures on Facebook? Absolutely not!

http://www.newcreationphotography.com Laura

You can’t HEAR about birth photography, you have to SEE birth photography. Check out some birth story slideshows (http://www.newcreationphotography.com/html/text_section.php?active_btn=5&sec_id=47&text_id=26&sub_type=drop-down), and then make a decision on whether it is for you or not! It’s NOT crotch shots and swollen vaginas. It’s beautifully photographed moments that rival your wedding day. It’s your husband holding your hand, helping you through, and tearing up as he sees your baby for the first time. It’s baby’s first breath, first bath, first glimpse of you! Good birth photography is amazingly breath-taking!

becky

I don’t care for the idea of a professional photographer. But with my second child, I had the most wonderful home birth and my sister took a lot of pics. Granted, I was in a tub and very sweaty and my hair was a total mess, but 3 months later, I still love looking at all the pictures. And my great sister also decided to film the last 2 minutes of my labor, so I can always watch my little miracle take place. I will have those memories forever and that makes me happy.

Jenna

My MIL is a professional photographer and took some amazing shots during the birth of my daughter. No crotch shots, just beautiful photos of the joy we all felt. I wasn’t able to hold my daughter til 20 minutes after she was born because there was meconium (sp?) in her mouth and there were so many doctors and interns around her (teaching hospital) I couldn’t even see her. I do however have pictures of her first 20 minutes that I missed. I will cherish all the photos she took forever… Even the ones where I look like a swollen, pale whale! If we have another baby I will do it again!!… Not sure how I feel about a stranger in the room though??

http://www.e3photographystudio.com Erika

Just a note…I’m a Birth Photographer, and this might get long since I’m not a fan of the tone in this article at all…

“Your face is somewhere between beet and eggplant and dripping with sweat. Your chunky pregnancy thighs are agape, exposing your dramatically swollen vagina. Your teeth are gritted in pain and concentration.”
– First of all, this doesn’t really sell “the most important moment of your life” aspect of giving birth. What a horrible way to think of this momentous event! Putting your looks above the birth of your child is how it’s coming across. That’s shallow and self absorbed. And as a mother, I can say first hand…when you are in that stage of labor, you don’t give a flying fig who is around you, you are too focused on pushing the baby’s head out to care about much of anything.

“We’re talking about having a professional photographer, dressed all in discreet black of course, snapping away with her giant lens as you huff and heave.”
– Second…I don’t own black, NOR do I dress up to go to a birth. If you call me at 3am to photograph your child’s birth, be prepared for sweat pants and a t-shirt with my hair in a pony tail or bun. It’s not that I don’t care about my clients to dress up, it’s that in the middle of the night all I’m thinking about is “Get to my client to support them.” My looks are the last thing on my list of “to do’s”.
– THIRD…does this writer has lens envy. I think they might!

“If that’s the case, and birth has just become another show-off moment, it’s a sad statement on our hyper image-conscious society and we really are the ultimate over-sharers.”
– Finally…who the heck says that the couples have to SHARE any of their pictures with their social network. They hire US, pay us money for a service…If they don’t want any of their pictures shown EVER, then they can say that (at least for me they can). I understand being private in this overly social world…however, I also like things documented to carry on for future generations and so do my clients. That’s the whole purpose of hiring a photographer for anything! Whether you take pictures of birth, death, war, etc…the images you take are to document and keep a record of the event.
Goodness gracious! Such negativity of a persons choice to have a photographer present. It’s their CHOICE! No one is forcing us “crazy photographers” down anyone’s throat. If you want us there, we are there, and if you don’t then you don’t have to even think about us. Our job is merely to be a fly on the wall…to capture the beauty of childbirth…to show the love two people can have for such a new little person. It’s NOT about being posh or hip, it’s about documenting an event that only happens once.

Elissa

I had my mom taking pictures. They all turned out blurry. It still depresses me. I would definately pay someone. I wouldn’t care about crotch shots. It is where my beautiful baby made her grand entrance, I refuse to be embarassed or grossed out by it. It’s rather childish. Plus I have close to no modesty. Lol.

jade

Not even my husband was allowed to take pics, he was only allowed to take pics of baby. He managed to get one shot of me post birth and I deleted it.

Jenn

I am due in two weeks and am having my birth photographed by a professional photographer. For our first child, the last thing my husband wanted to do was grab the camera – he was SO enamored with this beautiful little person and the whole process. We have some photos, but they aren’t great. I can not WAIT to have this birth photographed!

Birth is NOT just another “show-off” moment. It’s a moment I want to cherish forever and never forget.

Melody

I absolutely hired a birth photographer to capture the beautiful moments of one of the most life changing events in my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Initially it might sound quite awful but I challenge you to take a peek at these amazing photographer’s birth pictures and maybe even you will see the beauty (not graphic) captured. It is worth every penny you will spend.

Ahahaha love the stingy humor of this post because of its innate truth. My OB asked me if I wanted pictures while I gave birth to my twins, it’s the newest thing in that hospital at that time. They took Mom&me photos and when they were being held up in the air by their feet seconds after they popped out of me but still far from a crotch/crowning shot. There were a lot of blood and I have no need to over-share at facebook those pics of them with their penisandballs hanging while they were crying their lungs out Can you all imagine if our mothers did THIS to us? It’s not even funny, I feel my eye twitch.

Charlene

I work on a maternity ward and I have had the pleasure of being apart of a couple of births with a photographer. It was a great experience, especially when the person is a true professional. And getting to see them afterwards in a slideshow was priceless. The emotion that flows through a room when a baby is born is very powerful and to capture that moment in a photo is amazing. It isn’t for everyone but provided you find the right person for you, it can be amazing. People have a similar debate about the work that Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep does… and I wouldn’t trade having that wonderful photographer present during that time. Those picutres remind me of how strong I am and how much pain someone can go through and come through the other side! If I could have babies vaginally… I would totally have a photographer!

Cindy

I didn’t have a pro photographer on hand for the birth of either of my girls, but having seen the work of some excellent birth photographers, I’d do it in a heartbeat if I were having a third.

The most amazing birth photos I’ve seen have come from Dallas-based photographer Keri Duckett (www.keriduckett.com). I stumbled across some of her images on Facebook some time back, and now follow her page there.

If you check out the “Best of 2011 Slideshow” on the web site, be sure to note the series that starts around 3:25; the woman giving birth is acting as a surrogate for her best friend, who was medically proscribed from having another baby. These are powerful, unforgettable, and (IMHO) infinitely beautiful images.

Paige

I had my second child (at home) two months ago. We hired a birth photographer and will never regret that decision. I was in hard labor for 16 hours and totally clueless to what was going on around me because I was focused on my contractions/pushing. She captured so many AMAZING moments that I never would have known if it weren’t for the pictures. As for a crowning shot – this birth was a VBAC so I told her that if she had the chance, go for it. It wasn’t so that I could post my cooter on Facebook or have a poster made, it was because delivering vaginally was such a healing experience for me (my first birth was an unnecessary c-section and traumatic because of the horrible way I was treated). I honestly didn’t care about what I looked like but in the pictures I look more beautiful than I ever imagined I would and I can’t even explain why.

The best part about it all was that I never realized she was there as she took pictures. I heard the camera go off twice in 16 hours. She was respectful and discreet and gave me memories that I never would have known otherwise. My favorite picture is one she took over my shoulder of me and my baby looking at each other. There was another picture of when I caught him and brought him out of the water – seeing him for the first time. The raw emotion she captured is incredible.

This article is jaded and cynical. Birth photography is a choice every woman is free to make and there should be no judgement – just like we all choose to birth differently.

carole

We let a close family friend/ photographer take photos to document our birth story and i cry every time i look at them and remember that beautiful experience. A lot of that day was an exhausted blur and she was able to capture some very precious moments that i would not have remembered. They were done very tastefully and our photographer was very discreet and a hardly remembered she was there. I recommend it to anyone. You will NOT regret it.

I’d not heard of birth photography until this article. After the birth of my son (1st child) a hospital photographer came by somewhere between the 1,000 nurses who all seemed to need to watch me pee (yay, an audience), the lady with the birth certificate paperwork (husband and I were still debating names) and the lactation consultant (baby wouldn’t latch on to lefty and righty was threatening to go on strike.) I was so uncomfortable, overwhelmed and eager to get home that I brushed off the photographer as not to prolong our hospital stay. Looking back I think it would have been neat to have some professional pictures of my newborn son and I regret the missed opportunity. I think all pictures of your newborn will be treasured later on, even if they include your buffy red face, fat thighs and swollen vagina.

She was incredibly desecrate, I never noticed her, she took beautiful photos of our experience and my husband and I cherish them deeply. One day we will give them to our daughter and I’m sure she will also cherish them. I think it would have been neat to see photos of my mother giving birth.

We too had a home birth with our second child (our first was a cesarean birth) so to have a natural birth meant a lot to us and our photographer certainly didn’t cost $1000. I know many that are very reasonable and affordable. I’ve gotten many comments from other woman who were able to view our home birth (vbac) through my blog who have since decided to really research their options when it comes to their birthing options and for that, it is worth it to me to share this moment.

We don’t watch our aunts, cousins, mothers, and sisters give birth anymore like we once did and there is a lot of fear associated with birth. Anything we can do to show that birth really can be a victorious, amazing, self empowering, spiritual, & uplifting thing, is good! Nothing made me feel closer to my husband than catching our baby together.

Kitty

I actually had a birth photographer at my last birth. It was amazing. I didn’t even know she was there until she asked me if she could step out in the hall for a second while I was resting. So the whole thing about being conscience of them is “BLAH” in my opinion.

I love my photographs. They are amazing. There is so much there that actually shows what really happened during my wonderfully beautiful labor and birth of my baby girl. If my husband was taking the pictures I would have missed it all. Mainly because his support is what made it so beautiful.

I share my pictures with everyone I know, almost like wedding pictures. I love them and will keep them forever. If I had the chance to go back and do it again, I would have paid her more! That is how special and important these moments are to me that she so delicately captured without me even knowing she was there. I appreciate her so much. She only took pictures of what I outlined in my “wants and don’t wants,” and she took pictures of the little things that mattered too. Like the writing on the wall and the birthday cake. If you look at my pictures, I am in no way all glammed up. Who has time to put on make up when your having a baby. I came out of the bath, my husband put my hair in a ponytail and threw clothes on me and forced me into the car. I didn’t want pictures that showed me as this oh-so-beautiful woman pushing out a 7lbs baby out of her vagina. I wanted the real me, my real husband, and my real birth. That is exactly what I received. And they are still the most beautiful moments I can imagine. That is why I share my pictures, they are beautiful.

I think that it is a little absurd to start bashing something that both causes no harm, and brings so much joy. Birth photography has been around since fathers, these are just way better because there actually in the pictures too, not just taking them.

http://blog.simplebaby.com/?page_id=268 Shannon

I had two photographers and a cinematographer (the previously mentioned fabulous Ceci Jane) at my last birth (although one of the photographer was there to wrangle the big sister). People expect and pay a ton to capture and remember their wedding day – why wouldn’t we want to remember the day we met our baby?
Here’s my birth – in pictures and video:http://blog.simplebaby.com/?page_id=268

And they have been ALL OVER FACEBOOK.

CBeckham

The tone of this article is horrible, distasteful, unkind towards women, mothers, artists and photographers. The way this article was written is also hypocritical:

“I mean, who says birth is gross or embarrassing or private? It certainly is common, and natural. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

The way that the article was written definitely reeks of shame regarding the natural beauty of the birth process. Why wouldn’t someone want it to be documented? As a photographer, I have documented births and as a mother I have had the birth of my child documented. None of the above experiences for me were filled with a “photographer in black while i huffed and heaved.”

Perhaps this particular article was written to be such a specific opinion, but it’s distastefully executed and offensive, as are a large majority of the ignorant comments regarding the true purpose and nature of documenting birth.

Nathalie

I did with my second child. I have a photographer lined up for my upcoming birth…I’m 40weeks so I expect it to be soon. It was such a wonderful gift of the day. I know how excruciating the pain was, but not a single picture in my slide show shows that. It’s nothing but beautiful images of my awesome midwife coaching me, my fracking amazing husband supporting me, and my first moments with my baby girl. My only regret? That I birthed my son in an environment that didn’t allow for birth photography. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was letting my friend use me as her birth photography guinea pig. Can’t wait to see how amazing her skillz are now that she’s got more births under her belt!

Abbey

I did! I love them more than any other photos I own and they are beautiful and tasteful and not one bit the way you are describing. I would never give birth again without a professional birth photog. You miss and forget so much in labor and this allows you to see all the wonderful moments that get fuzzy and forgotten.

Brook

This article, if you even want to call it that, is negative, non-informative, and judgmental. I don’t really understand all the negativity associated with this subject and why women are so quick to say “Eew” or “Hell no”. Birth photography is amazing and beautiful. No, it’s not for everyone. If you feel like you won’t be able to relax and labor with someone else in the room then by all means, skip the photographer. However, I really think people should open their minds a little and get past the snap judgements they immediately think of when someone says birth photography. The birth of your baby is an intimate moment and can be captured so beautifully. If you’re interested in reading what a professional photographer thinks about birth photography check out this link…Some awesome birth photos as well. http://birthphotographers.com/?p=1032

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